Michael Arace commentary: Jackets are better for nearly same price

Thursday

Jul 31, 2008 at 12:01 AMJul 31, 2008 at 10:18 AM

Blue Jackets goaltender Pascal Leclaire yesterday agreed to terms on a contract worth $11.4 million over three years. With that last bit of business, the Jackets' busiest summer since 2000 drew to a close. General manager Scott Howson radically reconstructed the roster -- and significantly upgraded it -- without breaking the bank or telling us how smart he is.

It was a little more than a year ago that Howson was hired to inject levelheaded professionalism into what had become a carnival. He said he was a patient man who would devise a plan. On the heels of huckster Doug MacLean, Howson's deliberate mien was a blessing and a curse.

It used to be that minor and misguided deals were trumpeted as gate-storming triumphs. Howson stepped in, assayed the situation, made minor tweaks, and waited. Many fans began to pine for MacLean, whose epic failures were, at least, dynamic. MacLean might think of invading Russia in winter -- but, by jiminy, he rallied the troops for the slaughter.

As it turns out, Howson's patience will no longer be confused with reticence. He has not delivered a center for Rick Nash, and that remains a problem. But no longer is there any doubt that Howson is a man of action and that he has a plan. Not since the inaugural roster was spit-glued together has the team had a remodeling project such as the one this summer.

To the tote board.

Howson traded away Sergei Fedorov and Adam Foote at the deadline. He let David Vyborny, Ron Hainsey and Dick Tarnstrom slide into free agency July 1, and bought out Duvie Westcott. Then he dealt Nikolai Zherdev and Dan Fritsche to the New York Rangers, and he sent Gilbert Brule to Edmonton.

Howson traded for R.J. Umberger at the draft. He signed free agents Kristian Huselius and Mike Commodore. He got Fedor Tyutin and Christian Backman from the Rangers and Raffi Torres from Edmonton.

It is great sport to engage in dog-chase-tail arguments over whether Howson extracted good value in every trade or paid too much for this free agent or that one. But to do that would be to miss the big picture, and the big picture is this:

At last season's prices, about $18 million went out the door, all told. At this season's prices, about $20 million was imported. Essentially, the money spent on the deals washed out -- and the team was upgraded. Which is to say that Howson's plan was an intelligent one, and well-executed.

There is a greater depth at forward. Nash, a 60-point scorer, now has a 70-point guy in Huselius on the other wing. The second line looks like Fredrik Modin-Derick Brassard-Torres. The third line looks like Jason Chimera-Michael Peca-Jakub Voracek. If that's what a team's third line looks like, it's a good indication of competitive depth.

Again, the Jackets do not have a bona fide No. 1 center. It should be pointed out that a dozen teams are in the same predicament. Umberger is not a No. 1 -- but he might be a point machine with Nash and Huselius on his wings. And somewhere out there, first-round draft pick Nikita Filatov lurks.

The defense, while not vaunted, is no longer plodding. I'll take Commodore and Tyutin, at this point, over Foote and Hainsey. Folks around here do not yet realize how good Tyutin is -- he is the puck-mover this team has never possessed. Was Zherdev too steep a price to pay? Consider: It's entirely possible, even likely, that Zherdev will pull an Alexander Radulov and bolt for Russia and the Continental League when his contract is up next year.

Big picture: The Jackets got younger and lessened their age disparity. A framework replaced a patchwork. Age, size, speed, character and salary are beginning to fit together. The team is gaining an identity, and it is being built for a longer haul.

Howson will now rest -- or, will he? He has managed well the payroll. The Jackets' cap hit next year will be $47.8 million, which is $8.8 million under the ceiling. Meanwhile, there are seven or eight teams that are at or above the cap and looking to move high-priced talent of top-shelf variety. Howson will be getting some phone calls, and he will be mulling, quietly. He might just make a splash, or, maybe he won't. The man is not dynamic.

Michael Arace is a sports reporter for The Dispatch.

marace@dispatch.com

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